The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-27
HOW THEY SHALL COMPETE
Instructions of the Soldiers Monument
Commissioners to Architects.
All Sketches Must Be Submitted Without
Establishment What Well-known
Architect Thinks Of the Rules.

The instructions issued to architects who de-
sire TO enter the competition in preparing de-
signs for the soldiers monument embraces
description of the site list OF the ten architects
who have been selected to make sketches for
which 5000 will be paid. and also general invi-
tstion to the architects and sculptors of the
country to submit designs Special instructions
are given as to the preparation Of drawings,
which, in their execution, required to be
very plain and FREQ from all embellishments.
This Ia done so that the judges and those who
inspect the work cannot be influenced by the
artistic qualities of the rendering but rather by
the merit of the design itself.
Mr.. Gibson an architect of this city.
asked what he thought of the instructions and
the work of the committee in laying the compe-
tition open to the architects. He said 1T
would appear to me that everything has been
well done; that the character OF the judges and
the TERMS of the instructions will call for a
response from some of the best men in the
country if not in the world. Architectural
competitions, it may be known, have, for the
most part resulted in great good to the com
munty or the architects themselves. The
reasons for this are plain enough. The designs
are usually Judged by those whose education has
been entirely outside of the architectural pro-
fess1on. The consequence is that it is rare in
deed that the best designs of those SUBJ
mitted are selected. Hence the architects,
as o. class are not free to enter any architectural
competition. knowing, as they do, that their de-
signs may not be rightly judged. In the of
the work OF the soldiers monument commission
of this State the conditions quite different
They have selected one OF their advisors and
experts Prof William r.. Ware of the school OF
architecture of Columbia College, New York.
Prof. Ware is a highly educated and intelligent
gentleman. He studied architecture in the
School Of Fine Arts of Paris, and subse-
quently, believe, pupil of Richard NJ Hunt,
one of the most successful architects of New
York city. He was afterwards Der of the
firm OF Ware & Van Brunt, of Boston, who did
a large business in that city. For
number Of years he was instructor in architecture
in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
from which school ne went TO his present chair
in Columbia College. Aside from his fitness,
through the natural course of his education and
experience architect which would add
value to his services to the commissi oners there
is also to be considered the fact of his connection
with very large number of the architects of
the country whose instructor he has been, as
we'll as his general reputation among them In
truth, his connection with the soldiers monu-
ment will do more to bring out the best designs
from the artists and sculptors than anything |
have in mind. It is to find any in
any profession in whom everyone has such per-
feet confidence. AS to Professor Campbell and
General Morris we all know them, and alto
gether the competition promises well.
The letter of instructions does not amount to
so much IS the spirit of intelligence and fairness
with which they may be carried out. This is
the best thing about the work OF our commits
sion / see Il. There is only one thing in the
text of the instructions with which could find
fault. would quote the following paragraph:
The design may comprise tower column.
a memorial hall or vest5ule, mosalcs or groups
of sculpture either out of doors or within, and
it is for the competitor to judge which of these
features to employ and in what proportion they
shall enter his composition This may be all
right SO far as the commissioners are concerned,
and may result in good with respect to the
RIM anna mt yrh &c md far all Rnr
far the architect sculptor is
concerned. he Is In position TO find
fault. / can best illustrate nv meaning by m ak
ing personal illustration. Say that L
thinking about making a design and should
CHOOSE to employ a shaft with scul pture0 deco
rations, intended to tell the story of the war
history of Indiana, and it should afterwards be
decided that memorial hall was the thing that
was wanted. AS see it, the merit of the design
would mean nothing. 1t would simply
whether it a shaft memorial hall which
the commissioners wanted and had decided. af
yer a time, to build. This uncertainty is one Of
the things which may break the force of the
competition 1t ia difficult to tell just what to
do. 1t would appear that the commissioners do
not know exactly what they want, for which
reason they ask the architects of the country to
help them decide. Understand that do not say
that it may not be a good thing from the
standpoint OF the commissioners. What | do
say is that IL may cause a great deal of wasted
energy the part of the architects because OF
misdirected efforts In the case of the selection
of the design for q shaft those who have studied
the question of memorial hall and monumental
groups would have reason, fear for feeling in
jured. 1t might be said that the one would
make an exceedingly good design for either of
the general schemes suggested would help the
commissioners or their experts to decide which
kind to adopt. This, however, would be rather
far-fetched, and entirely to general in its nature
to make the reason valid. Taking it altogether,
however, every thing is in a very good shape"
The Case Of Cora B. COUNSEL.